Authentication FAQ's / Help

What is my Novell User ID and password?STUDENTS: use your Z ID and password
FACULTY/STAFF: use your Novell ID and password. You already use this ID/password combination to access MyNIU, Blackboard, and to sign on to your office computer. The ID is a combination of letters and numbers unique to you (e.g. c60lml1 or a123456).

I don't know / need help with my Novell User ID and password.For help with your ID and password, please call University ITS at 815-753-8100 or see:
ITS Password Self Service

I've spoken with ITS and my ID and password are fine, but I'm still not able to login.Several things can prevent you from authenticating, or from even accessing the authentication page. The most common obstacles are security measures, in particular firewalls. Our method of authentication uses a proxy server that generates a random port every time. Try lowering your security settings from "High" to "Medium" and temporarily disabling your firewall. Your computer will not be at risk as long as you are using the library's electronic resources. You can return your settings to "High" and enable your Firewall when you're out on the free internet.

Some places of business (school districts in particular) use system-wide firewalls that will prevent you from authenticating via one of their computers. The work-around for this will require your Systems Administrator to hold open a specific port in order to accommodate our random port generator. They may or may not be willing to do this, but you can ask. Please call 815-753-0521 for additional information regarding the port.

Why can't I use the VPN?The University Libraries used VPN for our authentication method for a while. However, it became incompatible with more and more of our databases, ejournals and other electronic resources. We therefore had to find an alternative. We are currently using a combination of Shibboleth and EZProxy for authentication.